


We’re Marked by Destiny

by MsFaust



Category: Fantastic Four
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Multiverse, Road Trips, Song references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25074781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: “If things were different, there would still be some time before your world’s version of the Fantastic Four could come to be.”Sometimes, however, the call comes earlier than usual.
Relationships: Reed Richards/Susan Storm (Fantastic Four)
Kudos: 5





	1. It Was My Destiny, It’s What We Needed to Do

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [this is just one of the ways it went (tell me another)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1048263) by [theappleppielifestyle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theappleppielifestyle/pseuds/theappleppielifestyle). 



Reed gazed around the room he had found himself in with an expression of awe. It was like the observatory at the planetarium, the deck of the _Enterprise_ , and a set from Spielberg’s _A.I._ rolled into one. While he didn’t know exactly where he was, or how he had gotten there, he had no desire to leave without first doing a little exploration.

As he searched for a way to reach the higher parts of the room, he noticed something on one of the numerous screens spread out over the walls. Namely, he saw a quartet of people engaged in battle against a horde of monsters emerging from a large hole in the ground. Three of them wore blue jumpsuits with a large number 4 as a chest emblem, while the fourth, a large man made of what looked like orange rock, simply had blue pants and a belt with the same emblem. He knew, somehow, the large golem was Ben, his best friend since third grade. While he didn’t recognize the other two, a blonde woman and a boy (not quite old enough to be a man) who looked to be her younger brother, he sensed that they were very important to the last one—an older version of himself.

Many of the other screens were showing similar versions of himself, Ben, and the other two. Reed watched in fascination as his older counterparts led their respective teams on various adventures, amazed by the strength of the alternate Bens, the invisibility and force fields belonging to the woman, the flame powers wielded by the blonde boy, and most of all, his own counterparts’ elasticity.

“If things were different, there would still be some time before your world’s version of the Fantastic Four could come to be.”

Caught off guard by the voice, Reed tore his gaze away from the screen to see a very tall humanoid being standing nearby. The being was hairless with glowing white eyes, and was dressed in some sort of toga-cloak ensemble. Obviously, he—the being’s voice indicated it was male—was some kind of alien, and one of incredible power to boot.

“Who are you?” Reed inquired, doing his best to stay as calm as possible.

“I am part of a race known as the Watchers,” the alien replied. “My people have long acted as observers, monitoring other species across the galaxy. You may call me Uatu.”

Raising one hand, Uatu gestured, and one of the screens shifted to depict a goateed man wearing a red and black suit of futuristic armor. He was standing at a control panel, which Reed suspected was for some kind of transport if the multicolored blur outside the window was any indication.

“Not only am I able to see through space, but through time as well,” the Watcher continued. “That is how I know that the Scarlet Centurion will soon arrive.”

“He’s some kind of time traveler, isn’t he?” Reed guessed.

A nod. “Much as I would like to explain his origins, I’m afraid that now is not the time to do so. What I can tell you is that he intends to conquer your Earth, and that your Earth’s heroes will be too preoccupied to interfere.” His expression turned somber. “Reed Richards, it is up to you and your friends to stop him.”

4444

Jolting upright, Reed gripped the sides of his head as he breathed heavily. Once his heartbeat had returned to its normal pace, he took a moment to think about what he’d just experienced, knowing full well that it was more than just a very vivid dream.

_Ben_.

Scrambling out of bed, he located his cell phone, dialed Ben’s number, and started looking for a bag as he waited for his friend to pick up.

“Hey Reed, what’s up?”

“We need to go. Can you come and get me?”

There was a pause.

“It ain’t just me, is it?”

“No,” Reed sighed, feeling some relief that Ben knew what was going on. “And I suspect there’s two others we need to bring along.”

“You get your stuff together and see if ya can get in touch with Susie and the squirt. I’ll text ya when I’m outside.”

4444

Miles away, Sue and Johnny were in a similar situation. As they packed, Sue searched the phone book, hoping she could find Reed’s number, or at least his address.

“This is totally crazy,” Johnny said as he tossed his DS into his bag, along with a plastic bag holding a few of his games.

“I know,” Sue agreed. “But that doesn’t mean we can just ignore what we saw.”

“Why’s it have to be us, though?” Johnny closed the bag before testing to make sure he could carry it. “Sure, I like the idea of being a superhero, but it’s not like there aren’t some of them already running around.”

“Look on the bright side,” replied Sue, grabbing a notepad and a pen. “At least life isn’t going to be boring anymore.”

The sound of ‘Moves Like Jagger’ (Sue’s current ringtone) stopped Johnny from making a retort. Noticing that it was an unknown number, Sue nonetheless answered it.

“I’m trying to contact Sue Storm. Do I have the right number?”

Sue had never heard the voice before, but she knew immediately who was on the other end.

“Well, that depends on whether or not you’re Reed Richards.”


	2. Where Were They Going Without Ever Knowing the Way?

Less than two hours later, Ben pulled up to the curb outside Corman’s, one of the few old-fashioned diners left in that part of the Lower East Side. Sue and Johnny were waiting outside, shivering slightly in the chilly November air.

“Any idea where we’re going?” asked Sue as she tossed her duffel bag into the trunk.

“We need to figure out where the Centurion is going to show up when he arrives in our universe,” Reed answered. “Since it’s a little hard to do that while driving, we’ll have to stop at a hotel for the night, and figure out our game plan.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was some weird kinda vacation,” Johnny remarked.

“No kidding, short stuff.” Ben handed the GPS to Reed, who fiddled with it for a moment before setting it back in place.

4444

The ride to the hotel was rather quiet, as all four of them had a lot to think about, though Ben kept his focus primarily on the road. While they were all both nervous and excited, they had rather different reasons.

Reed knew full well how important their mission was, and that Ben and the Storm siblings had joined him of their own volition. Yet he couldn’t help but feel like they didn’t really have a choice. Many of his parallels felt guilt over dragging their respective teams along on that fateful first journey, especially their versions of Ben. He didn’t want his best friend to be stuck in that golem-like form, not against his will.

Likewise, Ben wasn’t too keen on the idea of being trapped in the body of a monster. Chances were he’d be unable to turn back to human form, like so many of his counterparts. Still, he chose to help Reed out—there was no way he’d turn his back on his longtime friend, no matter how much he’d suffer for it.

Johnny, on the other hand, found the idea of being a superhero really cool. Sure, it wouldn’t be all fun and games, but he’d seen those other versions of himself, and he felt confident that he could handle it.

As for Sue, she was worried that things might not work out. Even if they did somehow get the same powers as their equivalents, there was no guarantee they’d make it through this alive, never mind stop the Centurion. Nevertheless, she just couldn’t sit by and let her brother do something so reckless, nor could she bring herself to ignore the danger.

4444

After they checked in and got some much-needed sleep, the four got to work deciding on their next move. Reed and Sue went online, searching for events that might catch the Centurion’s eye, while Johnny and Ben, not having much else to do, called room service to ask about breakfast options.

“From what we know about the Centurion, he’ll most likely be interested in some kind of scientific event,” Reed said. “My guess would be a major experiment or demonstration, most likely at a research lab or university.”

“So let’s see what’s happening in the next few days.”

A few minutes on Google later, they found what they were looking for. In only a few days, Cornell University was going to show off their ‘Cosmic Window Projector,’ a device that supposedly allowed one to view alternate dimensions.

“That has to be it,” Sue declared. “Will it take long to get there?”

“It’s about four hours from NYC to Ithaca,” Ben piped up. “But let’s get somethin’ to eat first. No sense headin’ out on an empty stomach.”

They couldn’t argue with that.


End file.
